Hyperefficient Student-Built EV Defies Odds

The coolest thing about this electric car isn’t the Lola racing car chassis, or the clear plastic bodywork or even the fact it gets the equivalent of 300 mpg. The coolest thing about this car is the kids who built it.

The car was a class project at the Automotive Design Studio at the DeLaSalle Education Center, an alternative high school in Kansas City, Missouri. The school serves those kids who fall through the cracks, and most of them live below the poverty line. A lot of them have seen some violence in their lives, others have kids, others have drug and alcohol problems and many of them struggle with basic educational skills. It’s an amazing opportunity for them to follow up two years of work in a class called Creative Studio and Entrepreneurial Studies by designing and building a record-breaking electric car.

Our colleagues at Wired UK recently wrote a short story about the car that we featured here at Autopia. We finally caught up with project supervisor Steve Rees after the team’s successful run at Bridgestone Americas’ test track in Texas. Before he was a teacher, Rees was an architect who also raced cars, including an appearance at 24 Hours of Daytona.

Of course, our first question was about the car’s amazing clear plastic shell.

Natalie Feneroli puts the car through its paces at Bridgestone's proving grounds in Texas.

According to Rees, the bodywork was inspired by the shape-shifting BMW GINA concept. It wasn’t the first choice, though. The kids started with a fiberglass body, but it proved to be too heavy.

“There was magic to being able to see inside through a clear film and we ended up going with a material that is made by 3M that is used to shrink wrap over a window. It is relatively thin but is very strong,” Rees said. “No, it is not a practical long-term solution, but the concept is a good one.”

“The skin is first stretched by hand and attached to the bottom wire, then we hit it with a heat gun, going over it just like you would if painting,” Rees said. “It conforms perfectly and is smooth and tight. The entire process takes an hour, costs $50 and weighs in at 39 pounds.”

Rees said the skin has shown no sign of fatigue or damage after trial runs that saw the car hit 45 mph.

That skin is stretched over the chassis of a damaged 2000 Lola Champ Car the team picked up for $2,500.

“It was badly damaged when we got it and the kids who had collision repair courses did the repairs,” said Rees. “The car ended up using the (Champ Car’s) suspension, one half shaft and steering, but a lightweight brake combination and special wheels and tires.”

Those wheels and tires — including low rolling resistance Bridgestone Ecopia EP100s — were but one of the contributions from Bridgestone, which also taught a class, took the students to an Indy Car race and allowed them to use its Texas proving grounds.

“The most important contribution to the project by them was their personal involvement as mentors to the kids,” said Rees. “They provided technology that was invaluable for the performance of the car. Their individual presence at the race, class and the testing was an indication of their personal contribution.”

In addition to the chassis, the DeLaSalle car has a sprocket-and-chain powertrain with an intermediate shaft, and power for the electric motor comes from 21 180 amp-hour lithium-ion batteries.

Though the team has yet to set their sights on a specific record category, Rees says the students involved in the project gained experience that will last longer than any record.

“Two of the graduating students are interested in engineering related to cars and one is going to study environmental studies,” he said.

Photos and video: Bridgestone Americas. Main photo: Natalie Feneroli, 14, congratulates Mario Ramirez after a successful run at Bridgestone’s proving grounds in Texas.